The Jinchuriki and The Queen
by BladeOfThePoet
Summary: Lucy was tied up to the wall of the lab, waiting for the next cannonball to come at her. While she waited, her mind wandered to a long forgotten memory, of her and an old friend. But as far as she knew, that friend had died with a bullet in his chest. So what happens when that friend crashes into the Lab and rescues both her and all other Diclonii? Naruto/Lucy (NotAMonstershipping
1. The Rescue!

**Hello, hello! Here I am, once again! This time, I bring you something not seen often enough in our little world of fan made fiction: a NarutoxElfen Lied X-Over! Quite honestly, I see a very interesting resemblance between Naruto and Lucy/Nyu/Kaede. Both hated for something they didn't choose, feared and mistreated by society because of it… damn, Naruto is pretty much an honorary Diclonious with all the stuff he's gone through. Ok, so here's the basic plot: In the Elfen Lied OVA (Episode 14), there's a girl who befriends Lucy/Kaede as she runs away from the Organization. Sadly, she gets shot and doesn't survive. BUT! What if instead of it being a girl in a random city, it was Naruto in Konoha? When he was still young and not yet a ninja? Anyway, without further ado, NYU! Can you do the disclaimer?**

**Nyu: Nyu?**

**Oh, right… Well, I'm not stupid enough to hit you in the head to bring out your other side, so I'll do it myself. I do not own Naruto or Elfen Lied. If I did, the following events would happen.**

**The road near Konohagakure no Saito**

It was a beautiful day in the Land of Fire, where people were going along with their everyday business. Right now, Jiraiya and Naruto were on their way back to Konoha. It had been a long 2 ½ years, but definitely worth every second of training. Jiraiya was happy to be back in his home village, without having to worry about Akatsuki popping out of somewhere or the occasional bandit thinking he could beat them… buuut most of all because he could get back to his _research_ without Naruto yelling 'ERO-SENNIN' and earning him a few rocks and water tubs in the head…

'_Oh well, occupational hazards of a Super Pervert' _He thought, chuckling silently. He then turned to look at his student, expecting him to be happy to be back home… only to see him with a downcast look, rubbing a spot in his chest very near to where Sasuke had impaled him. "Naruto? Oi, Gaki! What's the matter, we're almost home!"

"Huh? O-oh, yeah…" Jiraiya stopped moving altogether when his normally hyper student answered. After two and a half years traveling together, Jiraiya knew very well when something was bothering him. Also, his tone sounded like someone had just told him his ramen had disappeared. He stopped walking and began to glare at Naruto.

"Spill it, gaki. What's on your head?" Naruto was about to deny the accusation once more, putting on the fake smile he was so used to using, when Jiraiya's glare suddenly intensified. "Spill. It."

"*Sigh* Today is December 10th, right?" The Sensei nodded at his student. "You see, 8 years ago, on this very day, I met a very nice girl. She wasn't like the other villagers that hated and feared me. Needless to say, we hit it off right off the bat. One day, while we were playing, a group of men arrived and tried to take her away. I tried to fight back, and even used my own body to block their projectiles, but in the end she let herself get caught… so they'd leave me alone…"

"I take it you never saw her again?" Naruto nodded at his Sensei. "Can you describe her? Maybe it'll help you to let it out of your chest." Naruto nodded again, and took a deep breath.

"I remember her like we met only yesterday." His eyes gained a faraway look as he began to talk. "She had real pretty big, red eyes, with short pinkish-red hair. She had very fair skin, but her most beautiful feature was on her head…" Naruto's voice was full of sadness, most likely from the memory of losing his first true friend.

"Oh? Really? Did she have a bow or something?" Sadly for Naruto, this question wasn't just for curiosity, Jiraiya was already using this to plan a new novel. '_Oh yes… best friends, a girl and a boy, separated by an evil Daimyo, and the one of them goes to rescue the other and gets 'thanked'… man this kid is the Golden Pot of ideas!'_

"No, not a bow… it wasn't something artificial…" Naruto said, this time his voice full of nostalgia. "She had a small pair of horns, growing from the sides of her head… They were the reason she was taken away…" Jiraiya tensed a lot when Naruto mentioned the horns. "As I said, I tried to protect her, but her pursuers had some strange weapons. They fired metal really fast, kinda like Kunai Launchers on a sugar rush…" Naruto now noticed how wide Jiraiya's eyes were. "Ero-Sennin? What is it?"

'_Horns… strange weapons… the age… that description… it all matches!" _The Frog Sage quickly grabbed Naruto by the shoulders and looked at him in the eyes. "NARUTO! That information you gave me, it matches perfectly with the info I recently got from my Spy network!" This time, it was Naruto's turn to widen _his _eyes. "I was informed that a girl with horns was born a few months ago in Suna. Her parents loved her nonetheless. Hell, apparently Gaara was considering training her himself if she decided to become a Shinobi. Not 2 weeks after her birth, however, a group with strange weapons arrived at Suna and took her away. They somehow managed to get into the village at night and take the girl from her crib. The parents were heartbroken when they found out, but before they took her, they had placed a seal on their daughter that would allow them to track her, no matter where they took her, and see through her eyes and listen through her ears. They said they saw several others with horns, and now that I think of it, one of them matches that description perfectly!" Naruto's eyes widened even more. Jiraiya actually thought that they would pop out of their sockets. "I also know where they are. Let's get to Konoha first so I can fill you in in all the details before you go and try to play hero, ok?"

**The Anti-Diclonii organization HQ, one week later**

Lucy was, as per usual, tied up to a wall, waiting for the next cannonball to be fired at her. The building's lab rooms were nothing more and nothing less than pure and absolute _hell._ How she wished they didn't use that weird drug to limit her Vector's vibration to deflecting instead of cutting… Maybe then she'd be able to get out of the damned place… She looked through the window again and saw the technicians adjusting the machine's strength while the man in a suit- Kurama- was watching them intently. Lucy still hadn't forgotten that promise she made the man so long ago… when she promised she'd kill all he held dear… The same day he told her that _he _had died…

_Flashback!_

_Lucy was tied up to the wall of her cage, a straightjacket binding her to it and an iron helmet on her head, blocking her vision. Despite the lack of comfortableness of her current situation, her mind was elsewhere. She kept thinking of the boy that tried to save her from the men… and got shot in the process. The suited man, who she had learned was called Kurama, had promised her that if she turned herself in, he'd get the kid some help…_

'Oh, Naruto… please be ok…' _were the only words going through her head. Naruto had been the only person she could say had never betrayed her, unlike that brat Kouta who lied to her… '_He even jumped in front of a shot for me…'_ Her thoughts were interrupted when Kurama walked into her cell, his neutral face on, as always. Lucy felt a glimmer of hope that her friend had survived…_

"_I'm sorry, but the boy didn't make it. He died in the surgery…" The words hit Lucy harder than any punch she'd ever received. The horned girl just stared at the man in disbelief, tears starting to flow out of her eyes before she could do anything about it. What Lucy _didn't _know, was that Kurama was lying… not entirely though. The part in which he was lying was in saying he took the boy to the hospital. After the capture had been completed, a masked man appeared and took off with the kid, so he didn't know what had happened with the blond runt._

"_Listen to me…" Kurama looked at the girl with a look of confusion. Only now did he notice the tears running down the helmet. "I-I will not kill you… but I will take everything you ever loved!"_

_Flashback end!_

Lucy was brought out of the memory when she heard the machine whirring back to life. She knew she wouldn't be able to fully deflect this one, but at least she should be able to keep it from hitting anything vital. She readied her vectors, the machine took aim and…

***Knock Knock!***

… The procedure was interrupted by someone knocking on the door rather loudly. One of the technicians got up and went to the door.

"Who's there!?" He asked, just in case that a Diclonii had escaped her containment.

"_RA!" _Was the answer that came from the other side. Lucy found the voice incredibly familiar…

"Ra, who?" Something that sounded like spinning energy began to emanate from the other side of the door, and then the door began to bulge forward.

"_**RASENGAN!" **_The door was torn from its hinges as something powerful drilled through it. The Technician that was standing in front of it was crushed by the force it exerted. "_**TAJUU KAGE BUNSHIN!" **_A giant puff of white smoke filled the room, even the area where Lucy was kept. Before the smoke dissipated, Lucy felt someone releasing her from her bonds and covering her with some sort of jacket. Out of pure instinct, she lashed out with her vectors, trying to kill the one that had released her. All she managed to do, though, was smack him hard, the drug still in effect. She was about to attack again, when the smoke cleared, and…

"Yare, Yare, Kaede-chan! That is not how you welcome an old friend, is it?"

(**A/N: Start playing Naruto Fighting Spirit)**

'_That voice! It can't be!' _But it was. When the smoke cleared, it showed that the floor, walls and ceiling were littered with blue-eyed blonds wearing orange and black jackets with matching pants, except for the one that gave his jacket to Kaede. "N-Naruto?" The original blond (who was standing right next to her with a noticeable smack mark in his chest) turned to see her.

"Hello, Kaede-chan! Long time no see, eh?" Lucy couldn't believe it. It was really too good to be true.

'_Did I finally die? Is he here to take me to the afterlife?' _The thought was quickly eliminated from her head, though, when the blond next to her laid his hand on her shoulder and pushed her out of the way of another cannonball. Naruto's eyes were flickering from blue too red, mark of the rage he felt of the way his friend was being treated.

"I'm sure we have a lot of catching up to do, but I think we should get the hell out of here first, 'k?" These words made Kurama snap out of his shock-induced trance, and began barking orders to the P.A.

"ATTENTION! INTRUDER ALERT! REQUEST BACKUP IN TESTING LAB 4!" His words were answered by the sounds of people yelling at each other and the sound of gunshots in the distance. The blond haired clones and their creator began to laugh.

"Kinda hard to go somewhere when they're fighting an army!" They laughed a little again at that.

"An army?" Kaede asked, still a little shocked that her friend was alive. The Shinobi held up two fingers.

"Two words, Kaede-chan: PRISON BREAAAK!" As if on cue, several alarms began to ring around the station.

"_ALERT! SILPELITS #7, #11, #15, #35 AND #36 HAVE ESCAPED! ALERT! EXPLOSIVES WITHIN #35 HAVE BEEN DEACTIVATED FOR 24 HOURS! EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY! ARMED TROOPS ARE REQUIRED TO MOVE IN! HEY, WHAT THE…" _The next sound that was heard was that of screams of pure agony. Naruto chuckled loudly again.

"You heard them, people!" He yelled at his clones. "It's time for us to move out!" The clones nodded and began to grab the technicians and Kurama, holding them in a full nelson with Kunais aimed at their throats. The real Naruto and a whole bunch of his clones began to run out, Kaede riding on the original one's back. Despite the joy she felt of seeing her friend again, something was off…

"Naruto…"

"Hai, Kaede?" He gulped audibly when he felt a pair of ghostly arms start to wrap themselves tightly against his neck. Even though the drug prevented her from cutting, nothing was stopping her from strangling.

"How did… how did you find this place? And most importantly, how did you survive? I saw you get shot!" It was just then that they met up with four other Clone squads, each of them carrying an unconscious Diclonius, except for one she recognized as Nana, and one of them was carrying a baby. The five teams began to run towards the exit.

"Kaede-chan, now is definitely NOT a good time to talk about this, ne? I'll tell you once we get to a safe location!" He told her as they rounded a corner. Around it, they found a rather unpleasant surprise. Kurama, who had somehow released himself from the clones, accompanied by two rows of armed soldiers, all of them aiming at the escape party with floor mounted turrets.

"Kurama…" Lucy sneered at the man, her eyes showing the hate and resentment she had built around the years.

"Kurama? Yeesh, how come every Kurama I know is a pain in the ass?" Naruto asked out loud, causing a certain Nine tailed Fox Demon to grumble something about 'Stupid blond gaki's. Naruto was rather surprised when they all heard the little Diclonius, Nana, whimper a little.

"Papa…" She muttered, although a little too loud, loud enough for everyone to hear. One would think that this would make someone's heart go out to the girl, but instead, Kurama simply looked at a camera for a few seconds…

"Fire…" The soldiers began to shoot at his order. The bullets were too big to stop with Vectors, being fired from large 50mm anti-tank turrets. The conscious Diclonii extended them anyway, in an attempt to complete their escape. Before the bullets got too close, however, they all felt a tug in their gut, followed by a rush of wind, and they were now standing at the side of Kurama, the Narutos manning the turrets. Where they once stood, the soldiers now laid dead.

"Ah, the wonders of the Kawarimi Jutsu…" The original Naruto said with a happy sigh. Kurama, after recovering, drew out a pistol and prepared to shoot at Naruto. "Now, I don't think that's a smart move." The Naruto's all aimed their turrets at Kurama. Poor idiot didn't know that Naruto had little to no idea how to work them, but the ruse worked. The suited man dropped his gun. "There, now _that's _a smart move…" Naruto chuckled. He then nodded at one of his clones, who proceeded to knock out Kurama with a chop to the neck. He fell rather unceremoniously on the floor, his head making a loud thud when it collided with the polished surface. "That has _got _to hurt… Oh well! Moving on!" The Narutos resumed their run, the clones with their hands free knocking out whoever tried to stop them. "Now, listen Kaede. I have some friends waiting outside to get us out of here. I remember you telling me about distrusting others, so I just want you to know that the people outside are friendlies, ok?" The Diclonius nodded at her friend, two of her vectors still set firmly on his neck. She wasn't going to choke him… unless, of course, he turned out to be an impostor hired to mess with her mind. And if he was, she still wouldn't choke him… she would dismember him first, and then, when he was on the floor bleeding out, she'd slowly cut him in half. When they burst out of the building, she saw a bunch of people fighting against the soldiers. One of them, a slightly big boned one, was increasing the size of each of his limbs for devastating punches. Another one's shadow was stretched out, connected to a soldier, and said soldier was now shooting his own allies, mirroring every move the pineapple headed man was doing. There was a blonde girl whipping around a giant fan, the resulting wind waves slicing through every soldier that they came in contact with. Finally, a red haired man was manipulating what looked like sand, making it cocoon the soldiers and crush them within.

'_What _are _these people?' _Lucy thought as she saw the Narutos join the fray, knocking out every single soldier. '_So much power…'_

"OI! SHIKAMARU! Any idea how to get out of here!?" Naruto yelled at the Pineapple head. Said man ran through some hand signs, and his shadow choked the man it was connected to.

"Of course I have one…" Lucy was rather surprised at how laziness simply dripped off the man's voice. Shikamaru pulled out a scroll that had the words 'To the Leaf' written in it. "I asked Jiraiya to make these things. It was a real drag but each one can take up to two people back to Konoha. I've brought just enough for all of us here to leave. I knew you'd rescue anyone else trapped in this place, so I brought some extras." He began to pass the scrolls around while the Narutos fought off the remaining soldiers. "Just pump some Chakra into them as you open them and we'll be as good as gone. We just have to wait for…"

"YOSH!" Shikamaru was interrupted by a voice that was the complete opposite of his own. This one was absolutely full of energy.

"… Lee to finish putting the explosive tags." Lee pulled a small sliver of paper with symbols and laid it on the metal floor. "Did you put everyone in its place?"

"YOSH! Of course! If I missed one, I'll run three hundred laps around Konoha! And if I fail to do that, I'll…" before he could finish, three of the Narutos put their hands on his mouth, effectively shutting him up.

"Lee, let's just turn this place into a firework, ok?" The three told him. Once everyone had a scroll, they opened them and poofed out of existence. Meanwhile, in a slowly retreating chopper, Kurama was beginning to regain consciousness, just in time to see the HQ go up in smoke.

'_Mariko!'_

**And that's it for now! Whew, I've been wanting to get this one off my head for a while. Seriously, a few days ago I dreamt of Lucy/Nyu/Kaede threatening me with her vectors while Naruto held a Rasengan to my face… not really pretty. So, here's what I'm gonna do: I'm gonna write the first chapter of every idea I get. Then, when the ones I'm working on now are finished, I'll start working on these. This is BladeOfThePoet, logging…**

**Lucy: What about the canon characters? *Aims her Vectors at the terrified Author***

***Gulp* A-all in good time, Lucy, all in good time… NARUTO CALM HER DOWN!**

**Naruto: Hey, Kaede-chan! Let's go kill Sasuke-teme!**

**Sasuke: WHAT!? *Runs away with a Naruto Army and Lucy with her vectors tailing him***

**Whew. Well, with that settled, this is BladeOfThePoet, logging out!**


	2. Mission Success! Naruto's crazy idea!

**Yo yo! What is up! Man, this story hit much better than I was expecting. This update came earlier than my schedule says because of popular demand, and because I had this one planned for a while, too. I'm giving this a twist to make Kurama have doubts: Kill Naruto, or let him live? What do I mean by that? Hehe, you'll find out soon enough! Hey, Lucy? Can you do the Disclaimer this time?**

**Lucy: Nyu?**

**Not falling for it! You've spent a little too much time with Naruto as of late…**

**Lucy: Fine… BladeOfThePoet does not own Elfen Lied, Naruto, or any of its characters and rights.**

**Outside the Konoha Walls**

Outside of the Hidden Leaf, several plumes of smoke appeared out of nowhere, and within them came the Diclonii Rescue Squad. Naruto began to look around in confusion, apparently forgetting he had a passenger that was quickly getting dizzier than she already was.

"Hey, Shikamaru? How come we're outside the Konoha walls?" the lazy chuunin sighed in exasperation, not entirely content with his teammate's lack of knowledge.

"Naruto, we've gone over this a lot. Konoha has anti-teleport seals on the walls, drawn by Jiraiya _and _the Yondaime working together. Jiraiya alone wasn't able to create a bypass to get us inside the walls instantly, so instead he got us as close as he could. It may be a drag, but he have to walk inside. Now, let's get these girls inside. Some of them need medical attention, ASAP." Lucy tensed up quite visibly at the words 'Medical Attention', something Naruto noticed.

"Don't worry, Kaede-chan." Naruto told her comfortingly. "Tsunade Baa-Chan is the greatest medic I've met. She's patched me up more times I can count. I trust her with my life, so you don't have to worry about her, k?" Lucy calmed down with those words, although her vectors were still firmly on his neck. As they began their walk, a soft moan was heard from the back of the group, followed by a small gasp, a _POOF, _and then the sound of a body hitting the floor. The squad turned around, each Naruto clone with a Kunai ready. What they saw made tears well up in Naruto's eyes.

A little girl, one with blond hair (_A/N This is her Manga appearance)_ desperately struggling to rise to her own feet, with several ghostly hands assisting her. His heart went out to the girl. "Hey, could someone hold Kaede-chan for a sec?" One of his clones nodded and took the girl from his back, forcing her to let go of his neck. Naruto walked up to the girl, kneeled down, and picked her up, frightening the Diclonii. They had all heard that the girl would kill anyone got close. The ghostly (yet visible) vectors began to redirect towards Naruto, ready to cut him into bite sized chunks. The Shinobi all grabbed a Kunai, some of which were snatched by the conscious Diclonii, and prepared to stop the murderous child. Before her attack connected, though, Naruto spoke.

"How old are you?" this caused Mariko to stop her attack in confusion.

"What?" The girl asked, trying to figure out his motives.

"I said, how old are you?" The girl couldn't seem to figure out why the young man that was carrying her wanted to know that, so she answered.

"I-I'm five years old." Naruto's hands tightened, and his face contorted in pure rage. The Shinobi squad tensed when his eyes turned red with slit pupils, before returning to their usual ocean blue. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Those bastards took so much from you girls... I'll tell you a little story, Mariko. I once had a friend that was just like you." Mariko simply scoffed at the Jinchuuriki, not believing him. "Oh? You don't believe me? Even though he's standing right next to you?" Gaara, who had been silent this whole time, winced at a certain memory. Temari wondered if he was seriously going to reveal _that _to them, and secretly planned how to kill Naruto or mentioning that. Her doubts were put to rest when the Kazekage began to speak.

"You see, Ms. Mariko. When I was in my mother's womb, my father used a special technique to seal a demon into me." he closed his eyes, and when he opened them, they were the eyes of the One Tailed Tanuki, the Shukaku. "Before meeting Naruto, I was nothing more than a bloodthirsty killer. If you stood in my way, I'd simply kill you and feed your blood to my sand. However, a little while after meeting Naruto, he and I got into a little fight."

"Yeah, well, if you can call fighting a giant demon and his container on top of a giant toad 'getting into a little fight', then sure, we got into a little fight." Naruto interrupted the Kazekage. Gaara glared at Naruto for a second before continuing.

"Anyway, before my fight with Naruto, I thought that killing was the only way for me to prove I existed, and I fought only for myself. But then, he opened my eyes. He made me realize that I had never been fully alone. I had my brother and my sister with me, and they stood by me, even though they were afraid of me. After that, I managed to quell my bloodlust and began to fight for what really matters: my family" By the end of the story, the conscious Diclonii felt oddly identified with the man. "I managed to earn the trust of my fellow villagers and they eventually chose me as their leader. In all, there are 9 of us who have suffered this fate, and while it's common that they take the path I took, there is one who, instead of wishing revenge against those who mistreated him, he began to fight for their respect" Gaara finished, his eyes showing some sadness at the memories. Naruto closed his eyes, waiting for the question that was sure to come.

"Do you know that one? The one that didn't wish to kill?" Gaara was about to answer Lucy's question with a negative response, when Naruto spoke.

"Of course he does. He knows me." the Shinobi in the group's eyes saddened. "But, now is not the time to talk about it. Listen, Mariko, maybe in that hell hole in which you used to live you had to act strong, to avoid breaking down. But not here. Here you can live the life you should've had. Find someone precious and let them lighten the burden you carry." At this, Mariko was left speechless. In her short life, she had never seen her situation like that, and yet, it described her perfectly. The fact that she no longer had to bottle up her feelings dawned on her, and before she could stop it, she began to cry. All the sadness she had gathered came pouring out. "That's it, come on, let it all out."

He motioned for the other's to start walking, as he cradled the crying child so she could do so on his shoulder. He heard her say all the things she had suffered through and comforted her. It took her well over half an hour to stop leaking tears, and Naruto was pretty sure she stopped only because she ran out. "There, do you feel better?" He asked her. The girl nodded, but suddenly found the floor to be very interesting. "is something wrong?"

"I-I cried... And so much, too… I can't remember the last time I did something like this…" Naruto smiled tenderly at her, the way a parent would do to his child.

"It's ok. You've lived a pretty messed up life. You're more than entitled to cry" Naruto told her affectionately. He felt really connected to this girl... And this caused the craziest idea to pop up in his head. "Say, what can you tell me about your parents?' he asked while picking her up for a piggy-back ride to Konoha. A lone tear flowed down her cheek.

"I have no parents..." she said glumly. Aside from that doctor she called 'mommy' from time to time, she had no one she could call an actual parent. Naruto closed his eyes at her answer.

"Ya know what? I think I'm gonna adopt you." he said bluntly. Farther ahead, where the rest of the squad was eavesdropping, several jaws hit the ground.

"C-can he do that!?" Temari whisper yelled at Shikamaru. While surprised, the Chuunin answered with his lazy voice.

"In Konoha we're considered adults at a young age, since we shinobi have notoriously short lives. So yeah, he can adopt her... I can't wait to see how Tsunade will react to this..."

"10 ryo say she'll punch Naruto before accepting" Gaara deadpanned.

"You're on, _Lord Kazekage_" Temari answered at her brother. They resumed their walk, Naruto carrying the little girl a little ways behind them. Lucy and Nana were amazed that the girl hadn't killed the young shinobi, having heard the rumors concerning Mariko's bloodlust.

'_How could he do what no one has ever been able to do? Anyone that tried to bond with her usually ends up sliced in half!_' Lucy thought. More than once she had seen the remains of whatever poor doctor tried to talk to Mariko directly.

"D-do you mean it?" Mariko asked Naruto.

"Of course I do! If you accept that is." Meanwhile, inside Naruto's mind, a certain fox demon was raging on.

"_**ARE YOU STUPID, KIT!? THIS GIRL HAS MORE HATE IN HER THAN ME, AND THAT'S SAYING A LOT!'**_

'_Be quiet, baka-Kitsune. This girl has gone through things worse than what Gaara and I have. Despite this, I'm pretty sure I can get her to let go of that hate and appreciate life._' Naruto snapped at him. The blond saw the glimmer of hope in the girl's eyes, but it was quickly extinguished. Before he could ask, the girl spoke.

"Why would you want that? Not even my own parents wanted me. No one could ever want a monster like me." those words caused Naruto to feel not only sadness and sympathy, but an amazing rage.

"You listen to me, Mariko. The only monster I see when I look at you is whatever bastard locked you up. Just because you have horns doesn't mean you're a monster, nor does having killed in self-defense. The only monsters I saw while in there; were those outside the cages." Naruto told her, his face stone-hard with rage. It softened, however, at his next words. "So, how about it? Would you like to be my daughter?"

Mariko debated in her mind the situation. All of her life she had dreamed about having a loving family. Hell, she'd settle for a loving parent, and now she had the chance to have one… it was too good an offer… so tempting… but one doubt remained in her mind.

"H-how do I now you won't simply abandon me one day? Abandon me for a normal little girl?" She asked, teary eyed. Naruto smiled warmly at her again.

"I promise you, Mariko, that I will _never _do such a thing. And ask anyone around here, I never break my promises." In the time they were talking, they had already caught up to the rest of the group. When they heard Naruto say that, the Shinobi all grinned.

"Ain't that the truth…" Shikamaru said. "I have yet to see this guy go back on his word. He's even done things considered impossible to complete his promises."

"Yeah, like when he defeated my most Youthful rival!" Lee yelled out, nearly deafening the Diclonii he was carrying. One of the Narutos put his hand on his face to shut him up before he could wake up his passenger.

"Or when he beat up a Chuunin without having even graduated. That may have not been a promise but still counts as 'Impossible'." Temari said, adding her own two cents. "You'd be amazed how rapidly that tale spread through the nations." Naruto was sure they were going to go on and on about that, and thanked the heavens when they arrived at the gate, where the eternal chuunin, Izumo and Kotetsu, were playing a board game of sorts. Rumor had it that those two had made up most of Konoha's newest board games in an attempt to escape the boredom of their watch duty. They perked when Shikamaru placed his I.D. on the desk.

"Horned Rescue Team, returning from a successful mission." The conscious Diclonii sweatdropped at the name given to the Rescue Team.

"What the…?" Lucy said out loud. The Naruto clone that was holding her sweatdropped as hell.

"Don't blame any of us. The one that came up with the name was Naruto-dono's sensei, Jiraiya the Sannin. The man might be a writer, but sure has trouble when it comes to originality…"

**A few minutes later, Hokage's Office**

The rescue squad was standing in front of Tsunade, while the rescued Diclonii were either sitting or sleeping in the couch, except for Mariko, who had refused to leave Naruto's back.

"So, you stormed into an area with technology higher than our own, weapons that fire metal faster than the eye can see, and successfully rescued all captives?" The team nodded. Every one of them hated giving reports, and envied the red-haired Kazekage that was sitting next to Tsunade. The Naruto clone that was holding the Diclonius baby walked up and gave her to Tsunade. After using a Diagnostic jutsu to make sure she was ok, she gave the child to Gaara. "Well, Lord Kazekage, I'm sure the girl's parents will be delighted to see their daughter returned to them. I suggest you, your escort, and our ambassador return to Suna soon." Gaara nodded as he took the child from Tsunade's arms. He walked out of the office, followed by Temari and Shikamaru. Tsunade sighed and drew out a bottle of Sake. "I'm impressed that you came up with this plan, Gaki…" She said to Naruto.

"Plan? What plan?" Lucy asked out loud. Naruto turned to her with a grin on his face.

"Well, there was no way I'd get clearance to take a team of Shinobi to an unknown land only to rescue a friend of mine. I mean, Baa-chan here would've given me the mission if I bugged her about it for a few weeks, but instead I went for a quicker route." Naruto's grin increased as he paused for dramatic effect. "The child that Gaara just took was born in one of our Allied villages, so instead of saying the mission was to rescue a friend, I said it was a mission to rescue a group of kidnapped children. The council bought it, especially when I gave the money to pay for the mission."

"Yes, Naruto can be quite the trickster when he wants to. Now, before I dismiss you, are there any other issues you wish to address?" Naruto nodded at Tsunade, making her groan inwardly at being deprived longer from her drink.

"Yes, Baa-chan. Three, actually." Naruto started, holding up one finger. "First, we need to get them a place to stay"

"That is obvious, Naruto. I'll talk to them about their living arrangements when they're all awake."

"Ok. Now, second, do you have adoption papers?" Tsunade nodded at the knucklehead again, fearing his next words. "Good, 'cause I'm going to adopt Mariko" Naruto said while motioning to the girl on his back. The girl nodded happily, still excited about the idea of having a father. Her smile vanished, however, when she felt a rush of wind, and found herself and her (hopefully) new father on the other side of the room. Where they once stood, wooden log had just been turned to splinters by a powerful Tsunade punch. The Diclonii all felt their jaws hit the floor at the feat of strength they had seen, while Lee took off, escaping from the wrath of the Hokage. Tsunade breathed in deeply, trying to calm herself down.

"All right, Gaki, I'll grant you the adoption. _BUT! _You're going to have to get a better apartment, a source of income for when Missions are low, and someone to look after her if you have to go on a long mission, ok?" Naruto nodded, looking a little pale. "Good, we'll handle this later, but first, what was your last request?"

"Oh, right! Could you give each of them a check-up?" The Legendary Sucker sighed, nodded, and walked up to the Diclonii. Naruto set Mariko on the couch along with the others so as to make it easier for Tsunade. "Don't worry, Kaede-chan. This won't hurt at all." Naruto told his friend, having noticed how she extended her vectors. "Also, try not to arc your back so much when you release your extra hands, makes it easy to notice" The Diclonius nodded, shocked that he had notice that small flaw. Tsunade began to run the Diagnostic Jutsu on each of them, and frowned each time she reached the neck area. "What's the matter, Baa-chan?"

"I'm… not sure… There's something here, on the back of their necks, that does not belong there. It isn't biological by any means, but it's connected to some of the nerves in the nerve cluster. If I remember correctly, those lead straight to the emotional part of the brain..." When she finished, she created a Chakra Scalpel on her left hand, and slowly made a cut where the object was on one of the unconscious Diclonii. The sight of blood made her hesitate slightly, but quickly used a Jutsu to clean it up and redirect it slightly around the unknown object. The object was a small, square device, with a small blinking light. Naruto recognized it as a chip, having seen one when he accidentally blew up his microwave.

"Hey, what's a chip doing in there?" Naruto asked her. After running another Jutsu, Tsunade's eyes widened to amazing proportions.

"I-I can not believe this… what kind of _monster _could create such a devilish object!" Tsunade yelled, causing Naruto to cover his ears. For some reason, the Diclonii were unaffected by the sound. Tsunade pointed an accusing finger at the device. "That _thing _is sending electric signals to the brain, creating massive amounts of bloodlust and rage! Not only that, it's sending scrambling signals to the pineal gland!" While Naruto had no idea what she was talking about, Lucy stared at the object in disbelief.

"Y-you mean, that thing is the reason we Diclonii have a desire to kill?" She asked the healer, her lower lip trembling. The other two conscious Diclonii had a similar look on their faces. Tsunade nodded at the pinkette, the rage never leaving her eyes.

"However, from what I can tell, the electric signals it sends can be overridden by strong emotions, such as happiness or sadness. It also seems like the ones on these two…" She pointed at Nana and one of the unconscious Diclonii "… are defective. They're only sending the scrambling signals to the brain. It doesn't matter though, I'll schedule an OR to extract them before…"

*_SQUELCH*_

A horrible squelching sound interrupted Tsunade. When they turned to the source of the sound, they saw Kaede holding her own chip in one of her vectors. Apparently, she had used them to sever the connection to her nerves and then ripped it out, causing a mess on the wall. Not a few seconds after, two more squelches were heard, from Mariko and Nana. Naruto freaked out when he saw the blood gushing down his friend's and his daughter's necks.

"AHHH! WHATTHEHELLWEREYOUTHINKING!? I NEED BANDAGES! BAA-CHAN, WE NEED BANDAGES! WE NEED…"

*_BONK!* _

Thankfully, Tsunade cut off the blonde's panic with a swift punch. It did relieve her that he showed such concern for the girl he wanted to adopt and for his friend. After healing up the girls, she returned to her desk and told them 3 words.

"Welcome to Konoha!"

**And that's it. Next chapter will be for Percy Jackson, Guardian of the Nile. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I also have a request for you readers. I'm having trouble creating Jutsu for the Diclonii to use that involve their Vectors or Horns. I've thought of things such as Vector Rasengans, the ability to control several puppets with Vectors, and a Raiton jutsu that uses the Horns as shooters. I hope you can help me with that. This is BladeOfThePoet, logging out.**

**Jutsu submitting format:**

**Jutsu Name:**

**Element:**

**Description:**

**Rank:**


	3. The Diclonii awaken! A new Mokuton user?

**Hello my good readers! I'm baaaack! Now, last chapter, the team returned to Konoha, and the mission was completed. Now, on this chapter, there's going to be a small time-skip, some flashbacks, and a whole load of Naruto/Mariko father/daughter fluff, with some hints of NaruLucy on the back. Now, I hope you enjoy reading this! **

**I DO NOT OWN SQUAT!**

**Three months later**

Naruto was leisurely walking down the path to his new apartment, carrying two bags of groceries in each arm. The arrival of the Diclonii had been a huge change, both for the village and for the girls. When Tsunade registered the Diclonii virus as a bloodline limit, people began staring at their horns again, but not in fear or confusion, but with wonder and amazement. They quickly adapted to the village life, and Mariko was sure happy living with her new father. Said father had managed to get the hang of the Hiraishin, although he still had trouble when the seal was on a Kunai instead of a normal paper slip. However, not all effects were positive. The Hyugas had begun a long and rather annoying combat in the council because one of the Diclonii had… well… she had a Byakugan.

_FLASHBACK!_

_Tsunade oversaw the two Diclonii that remained unconscious. She had removed the chips from them and, after some studying, she found out it was meant to alter both the brain and the reproductive system. Once removed, however, everything returned to normal. She had also removed some strange objects from Mariko's body, even though it took all her expertise to do so without harming the malnourished girl._

"_Mmhm…" Tsunade looked up from the files she was reading when she heard one of the Diclonii moan slightly, waking up. She was not prepared, though, when her eyes, which she could have sworn had been brown when she was doing a check, were white with a hint of pink, a color only seen among the Hyuga._ _Upon closer inspection, Tsunade noticed that a pair of small objects had fallen from her eyes._

'Contact lenses… probably didn't want to draw much attention to herself aside from her horns.' _Tsunade thought after seeing them. The girl, when she saw her location, began to panic, probably startled by the sudden change of scenery, prompting Tsunade to make her appearance. "Oh, good! You're awake!" The girl snapped her head in the direction of the voice, wondering why someone would be glad she was awake. She extended her vectors, just in case she had to defend herself, noticing how she no longer felt the incredible need to kill on sight anything she could._

"_W-who are you!? Where am I!?" She yelled. Tsunade sighed and handed the girl a glass of water, noticing her voice sounded strained and dry. The girl was wary about drinking, though._

"_Don't worry, it's clean. I swear it on my life." Tsunade told her. Still wary, the girl took a small sip. Seeing how it tasted normal, she greedily drank all of it, relishing the feeling. "Now, to answer your questions, you're in the Konoha General Hospital. I sent a team of Shinobi to rescue the Diclonii from that hellhole you were being kept in. As for whom I am, I am the Hokage, the leader of this village. Now, how about you tell me who you are?" The girl's eyes widened upon learning she was free, realizing she now owed this woman and the team that rescued her a life debt._

'Might as well as start repaying by giving them my name…' _She thought, struggling slightly to remember her real name. Apparently, being called a number for most of your life could cause this. The only reason she managed to remember it, was because she had scratched her own name into the wall of her cell, along with the names of her parents. "My name is Hikari Hyuga."_

_FLASHBACK END_

Needless to say, those words caused massive chaos within the white eyed family. When asked, she told them the name of her father and mother, after overcoming the shock that there were other people with eyes like hers. After checking their records, her father was an exiled Hyuga, although the reasons for the exile were lost. It was confusing, though, since most of the times if a member did something that deserved such a punishment, they would be executed to keep the Byakugan from falling into the wrong hands. The Hyugas spent one month trying to convince Tsunade to let Hikari live with them, so they may teach her how to use the Byakugan properly. In truth, they just didn't want to think of the possibility of the girl starting a new clan that had both Vectors and the Byakugan, an incredibly deadly combination. Luckily, when Mizore, the other Diclonius girl, had woken up, there hadn't been that much trouble. The girl hated fighting, and the mere notion of killing made her face go green. She and Nana had quickly become friends, since both of them had similar mindsets when it came to fighting and killing. Speaking of Nana, she had surprised everyone with her voracious appetite, leading Naruto to challenge her to a ramen eating contest when she was released from the hospital (The contest had ended in a tie, with 32 bowls each). Most of the Diclonii were living in an apartment building, even Hikari, who didn't want to be near the Hyuga Elders. Their living arrangements being paid for by Tsunade until they decided what to do with their lives. Most of them were considering taking the path of a Shinobi, partly to repay for their rescues, and partly because they knew a normal job wouldn't keep them entertained for long. There was only one Diclonius that did not live in the apartment building, and that was Mariko. After the adoption had been finalized, Naruto took on several high paying missions, one of which was to intercept Deidara and Sasori on their way to Suna. Once he had enough, he got a new, bigger apartment and used the remaining money to buy some new bedding and furniture for Mariko. He had asked the parents of all his friends for tips on how to raise a child, the usefulness of which was reduced considerably when he realized Mariko wasn't like a normal little girl. She was way more mature than that sometimes… although she did behave her age most of the time.

'_Man, she may be a handful sometimes, but am I glad I did adopt her…' _Naruto mused as he opened the door to his apartment. "I'm home!" He yelled out. Oddly, no words came back. Confused and worried, Naruto placed his groceries on the floor, and peeked around the house. The apartment wasn't huge, but it was big enough to support a young man and his daughter. It had a small kitchen with a table in it, a living room, two bathrooms, and two bedrooms. The bedrooms were right next to each other, just like Naruto had asked. It had been a blessing that he found it, too. Most nights, he'd be woken up by the sound of Mariko crying in her sleep, having a nightmare of her time back in the organization. After the first time it had happened, Naruto had stationed Shadow Clones in Lucy's bedroom, but apparently she didn't have the nightmares as often. Naruto couldn't help but chuckle when he remembered the first time Mariko's nightmares had awakened him…

FLASHBACK! (two months, 24 days ago)

_Naruto was sleeping peacefully in his new room, feeling glad that the landlord didn't hate him for his tenant, when a small whimper woke him up. Several years of beatings, missions, and running away from the women that wanted Jiraiya dead had made his senses keen, and when the whimper came again, he identified the one who emitted it, and moved at a speed no one had ever matched before. He rasengand the door right off the hinges, several Kunai and Shuriken ready to take out whoever was hurting his daughter… until he saw her perfectly asleep, tossing and turning, tears flowing from her eyes and her vectors trashing wildly. It didn't take a genius to figure out she was having a nightmare. Having suffered through them before, Naruto knew that Mariko must be having a rough time. Honing his ninja skills, he dodged every single vector, not without a few scratches in the process, and, upon reaching her, gently rocked his daughter awake._

"_Mariko! Mariko, wake up!" He said, causing the girls bloodshot eyes to snap open. Seeing her new father looking at her brought a huge sense of relief to her heart, until a new wave of tears came. She hugged her 'father' tightly, crying into his shirt. "There, there, it's alright. It was just a nightmare. It's over now…" He told her soothingly. He knew what he said wouldn't matter as much as the tone, but still decided to go with the standard issue after-nightmare talk._

"_Don't… please…" Mariko said softly between sobs._

"_Hmm? Don't what?" Naruto asked in return, hugging her tight._

"_Don't leave me alone… please…" She muttered. Naruto answered by hugging her securely and rubbing the back of her head with his hand._

"_I won't, I promise. And I never go back on my word." To anyone that knew him, this side of Naruto would sound like a joke. Hell, even the Fox found it hard to believe. "Now, would you like to sleep in my bed tonight?" Naruto asked his daughter. She nodded slightly, and Naruto carried her to his bed, where she fell asleep instantly. She didn't have any more nightmares that night, but Naruto knew that if he ever saw the man that had locked her up in that cell, he may not be able to stop himself from killing him._

_FLASHBACK END!_

Naruto sighed the last part of the memory. The day after that event, he told Lucy and Mariko about the fox. He found it amusing that had reacted so well to it, and Lucy had taken to referring to the fox as the 'Fluffy Asshole', whereas Mariko simply called him the Fox. The fact that he had led such a difficult life had made it easier for Mariko to bond with Naruto, since they could both relate to a life of hate and fear. Not long after that, maybe a week or so, Mariko had begun calling Naruto Daddy, which he had to admit, he loved hearing.

"Oh well, no sense thinking of that right now… Huh? What's this?" He found a small note on the table. Judging by the rather bad handwriting, he had to guess it was Mariko who wrote it. A month after they had settled, Naruto enrolled her at the Academy. Even if she didn't choose to be a ninja, she still needed to learn how to read and write, and Naruto wasn't precisely sure on how to teach her without Shadow Clones.

_I went to the fields with a new friend! I'll be home soon!_

_-Mariko_

Naruto was instantly filled with happiness. Mariko was making friends at an amazing speed, having already befriended half her class. Iruka had told him that they often worked together to play pranks on him, and, because of Mariko's vectors, they were usually much worse than anything Naruto had come up with during his Academy days. Just as he was about to sit down and plot new pranks to hit the Chunin with, the Chakra Link Kurama had formed between Mariko and Naruto flared up. It didn't tell them where the other one was, but it did tell them the other ones emotions. Right now, he felt massive amounts of fear coming from Mariko, followed by pain. He then felt, and heard, her call for help.

"Kurama!" He yelled at his gut, waking up the tenant. "I need your chakra, NOW!" he yelled as he activated the Hiraishin towards the Seal tag he had given Mariko.

**Training Ground 7, a few minutes earlier**

Mariko was having a good time with her new friend. She was a girl called Yukiko from her class, and the two were currently playing in the empty training ground. They were currently playing tag, although Yukiko had told Mariko she wasn't allowed to use her vectors, since that'd be cheating. However, all good things must come to an end, and not always nicely. Just as Yukiko was about to catch Mariko, several soldiers popped out of the woods, their weapons aimed at the girls. Kurama was standing among the soldiers, hiding his surprise and happiness to see Mariko alive, although he did wonder why she hadn't killed the girl with her. It looked like they had been… playing?

'_No, that's impossible. All Mariko ever seems to think about is killing…' _He was soon proven wrong though…

"Yukiko, RUN!" Mariko screamed, turning and pulling her friend away from the soldiers. It didn't take her long to figure out how they had found them… the chips. They must've had some sort of tracking device and they simply went to the last location it pinged out before being deactivated. Just as it seemed like they would manage to get away, or at least get help, Mariko was shot in the shoulder, having been too distracted to block the incoming bullet. As she fell, Yukiko tried to help her up. "NO! Keep running!" Mariko told her, pushing her away. As long as she was in pain, her vectors were rendered useless… '_Is this it? When I finally know happiness, I'm going to lose it again?' _She thought faintly as the soldiers roughly picked her up. And then, all of a sudden, she remembered something. The Tag! If she could just throw it… She weakly managed to grab the piece of paper and throw it, making it land a few centimeters away from her, and then, with all her strength…

"DADDY!" She yelled as loud as she could. Kurama stiffened considerably.

'_Does she know I'm here? D-did she, somehow, find out who I am?' _Sadly for him, all of his thoughts were proven wrong when a flash of yellow light flooded the area.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER, TEMES!" Someone yelled. Kurama recognized the voice as the same one that had invaded the HQ three months ago, wrecking everything and even destroying the place, but right now, he was covered in a red Aura, with what seemed like three tails swishing behind him. The soldiers that were holding Mariko were now dead. '_Kurama, heal her.' _Naruto commanded the fox. '_Do it and I'll add some raw rabbit meat to my next bowl of ramen.' _As Naruto found out, all he needed to bribe the fox was some rabbit meat. The acidic Chakra of the demon slowly pushed out the bullet from Mariko's shoulder and closed the wound "Mariko, are you ok?" The blond asked her tenderly. Mariko, in return, did something that caused Kurama to be shocked and green with envy at the same time: She hugged him. Before he could say anything, his assistant decided to take the stage.

"Hey! You! Get away from it! That thing will kill you with no remorse, hell, it'll most likely enjoy doing it! Let us kill it, I'm sure you'll be safer! AH!" The woman was unable to hold back a scream as a Kunai imbedded itself into a tree next to her, just inches away from her head. A fourth tail began to emerge from Naruto's coat, and his skin was starting to peel off. The second the assistant said the word 'kill', Naruto began to see red. Despite his struggle, he was beginning to lose control, and just as he was about to go bezerk…

"**Mokuton: Odayakana Kemono no jutsu!" **Mariko yelled out of the blue. Several small vines crept up Naruto, sprouting flowers that slowly calmed him down with their sent. "**Mokuton: Mokusei no Dangan!" **Mariko yelled again. This time, wooden spheres began to fly out of the trees, striking every soldier down. Before long, Kurama (the human, not the demon) gave out the retreat order, knowing they had lost this battle.

'_But not the war…' _He thought. Meanwhile, Naruto stayed in his spot, holding Mariko, who had passed out from Chakra exhaustion, and a single thought raced through his mind:

'_My daughter can use Mokuton!?'_

**AAAAND CUT! That's a wrap! I hope you all liked it. The reason behind Mariko's Wood Release (Mokuton) Will be revealed next chapter. BladeOfThePoet, logging out!**

**Mokuton: Odayakana Kemono no jutsu: **Wood Style: Calm Beast Jutsu

**Mokuton: Mokusei no Dangan: **Wood Style: Wooden Bullets

**Next Update: Percy Jackson, Guardian of the Nile**

**Note: This story was updated out of schedule for personal reasons.**


	4. Happy memories

**WAZZAAAP! It's me again! Now, last time, we saw that the Mokuton bloodline is not quite dead just yet, and no longer limited to just Tenzo. How will the village react to the new wood-user in town? And what will happen to Mizore and Hikari, the two OCs? You'll have to read to find out! Also…**

**ShadowBloodedge9396: Sasori and Deidara are not dead yet, but they were forced to retreat. Also Lucy does have her own apartment; sorry I didn't make it clearer last time. **

**Dregus: Oh, you can bet on that! While Kurama just **_**might **_**survive, I am not capable of saying the same for the flunkies**

**Theunfunny9: Sorry if it seems a little quick-paced. Don't worry, though, things will go nice and slower from now on.**

**Who wants to do the disclaimer!?**

**Hinata: B-BladeOfThePoet does n-not own N-Naruto-kun or E-E-Elfen Lied…**

***Points at Hinata* If only you knew the role you'll play later on… hehehe…**

**Konoha main Hospital**

After the event with Kurama, Naruto had taken Mariko down to the Hospital for a quick check-up. He was still shocked by the fact his daughter could use the ancient Wood-Release techniques. He knew there was a Jounin Captain capable of using it, but even so, his own daughter had used it!

'_But how did she know what Jutsu to use? It's almost as if… wait, wasn't there a Jutsu that allowed the user to transfer some memories to someone? I can't remember… but what if… one of her parents sealed his or her knowledge of the Jutsu into her?' _Naruto thought, watching his daughter sleeping peacefully in a Hospital Bed. Tsunade had ordered the ANBU to keep an eye on the Diclonii and to apprehend anyone suspicious near them. After a while, the Demon inside Naruto decided to share something he had found.

"**You know, Kit, maybe I should tell you that I felt a high similitude between the chakras of your Daughter and that man… I think he's her Biological Father…" **No sooner had he said that, he felt Naruto's anger spike. "**BUT, before you fly into some sort of murderous rage, you should know that this man has the Chakra coils of a tapeworm, plus the only wood I sense in him is the one coming from his pocket... Possibly a photo frame"**

'_Meaning?' _The Jailor asked his prisoner, feeling wrath bubbling up inside him.

"**Meaning, the girl's bloodline limit **_**must **_**come from her mother. The woman must've somehow locked away the Mokuton Jutsus into the girl when she was born. Almost as if she knew the girl would need them…" **Before Naruto could ask what the demon was implying, however…

"NARUTO!" The blond Shinobi was separated from his tenant by his childhood friend, Kaede/Lucy (_A/N How do you guys think I should call her from now on? Lucy or Kaede?)_ By the looks of it, she must've been calling out for a while now."Were you talking to the Fluffy Asshole again?"

"Yeah, sorry for spacing out…" He answered, scratching his head sheepishly. He took the chance to check out Kaede's new outfit. She was now wearing a Chunin vest, with a pair of form fitting pants, ninja sandals, and she had her forehead protector tied to her arm. '_Man, she's HOT… KAMI-DAMN YOU ERO-SENNIN!' _Somewhere in the Village, a certain pervert sneezed. Anyway, after practically acing the graduation exam from the advanced Academy (An academy made for people above the age of 15 who want to be Shinobi) Lucy had quickly become a Chuunin, her years on the run granting her an amazing set of skills and high-stealth, and had an unbelievably high pain threshold. Another factor was that she could easily steal information with her vectors. As for Naruto, he had been given a field promotion after the Sasori-Deidara interception mission.

"It's ok. It must be quite the challenge to have him in you." The pink-haired girl answered, a small smile gracing her lips. She couldn't get over how often she smiled ever since she got out of that hell they called a lab. Seeing her smile caused an unfamiliar feeling to appear on Naruto's gut, and had an idea that, quite honestly, was terrifying him.

"Hey, Kaede-chan…"

"Hai?" She noticed how Naruto seemed fairly nervous about something.

"I was thinking… would you like to go for a bowl of Ramen with me and Mariko later today?" He asked her nervously, barely keeping himself together. Inside of him, the nine tailed fox was laughing his tails off.

"**Hahaha! To think that you, the great Naruto Uzumaki, who has bested hundreds of powerful foes, would be left a nervous wreck at the thought of asking his childhood friend for a simple bowl of Ramen!"**

'_Urusai, baka Kitsune!' _Naruto thought back, a blush slowly forming its way up to his face. As for Lucy, she wasn't fairing much better.

'_Oh my god! H-he's asking me out! What should I do!?'_

"**NYU!**_**" **_An overly cheerful voice rang out inside her head. A tick mark appeared in Lucy's forehead at the sound, one she thought had vanished years ago.

'_Oh, be quiet, Nyu! The last thing I need is you giving me relationship advice!' _Lucy angrily mind-yelled at her childish second personality. Several years in solitude often cause victims to create imaginary friends, and after several years, this friend could actually become a second being inside the victim's mind. And thus, Nyu was created.

"**Nyunyu?" **The cheerful pink-haired said in a confused tone.

'_Because _you _have the emotional maturity of a 3 year old! That's why!' _Kaede answered the question. The only thing is, not even this humble author knows how the heck she can understand so much out of a couple Nyus. '_But fine, I'll go…' _With one last triumphant 'NYU!', Lucy cut off the connection with the cheerful being. '_Thank kami I didn't get hit in the head and she can't come out…'_

"Kaede-chan?" Naruto's voice drew her out of her musings. She could easily see he was very afraid of being turned down. She simply nodded as an answer… "YATTA!" The happiness in the blonde's voice was barely contained. Ever since Kaede came back, he's been dying to get some time with her. While it wouldn't be alone time, since Mariko would be there, it was good enough for him. "I'll go pick you up at your apartment when Mariko wakes up, alright?" The pink haired girl nodded, feeling oddly excited about this date of theirs, even if she was still wary of Mariko. Neither of them, however, noticed the black haired Hokage assistant furiously taking pictures of the two.

'_Oh man, this is the best blackmail EVER!' _Shizune thought happily as she kept on photographing. After all, she and Naruto were like brother and sister, and wasn't it the older sister's job to torture the younger sibling?

**Meanwhile, at the Hokage's Office**

To say Tsunade was curious right now was an understatement. Just a few minutes ago, the Diclonii Mizore had entered her office. She was currently wearing a set of regular civilian clothes, jeans and a t-shirt with a pair of shoes, with her pinkish hair wrapped in a bundle. But what really caught the Slug Princess's attention was the girl's request.

"So, you're saying you want to be a medic nin?" Tsunade asked her, feeling truly interested. The girl shyly nodded.

"H-hai, Tsunade-sama. I've never liked fighting, and even less so killing, and when I saw you heal Naruto-san the other day when he returned from a mission, I was impressed. I really want to become a medic and help!" The young Diclonius progressively gained confidence during her speech, and Tsunade could easily see the amount of determination this girl had. She was perfect for the job. Not only that, the idea of using her vectors to assist in healing was thrilling her to no end. For Tsunade, new medical breakthroughs or the discovery of someone capable of matching her healing skill was to her what finding new jutsu was to Orochimaru, or what a new sealing technique (or women) was to Jiraiya.

'_Oh sweet Kami, if she can use Katon or Raiton jutsu I'll hug her to death!' _Tsunade thought with a disturbing smile, which caused the girl to edge away slowly, slightly fearful for her own wellbeing. Luckily, Shizune stormed in just then with a camera in her hands.

**A few hours later**

In a matter of hours, the whole village knew the gossip: Naruto Uzumaki was going on a 'date' with Lucy. This had caused a myriad of funny reactions, among them Sakura spitting out a cup-worth of tea in shock, and Hinata to grow green with envy. It had taken the Rookie 9 only a few minutes to figure out where he was taking her: Ichiraku Ramen. They had all acquired some disguises (*cough* Henge *cough*) and got ready for their 'espionage mission', as they liked to call it. Unknown to them, Jiraiya and Tsunade were also planning on spying on the young friends in their date. Meanwhile, Naruto was getting ready for his night out in his own apartment, trying to tame down his spiky hair (and failing miserably) as well as trying to get Mariko ready. For some reason, his mind went back to when he told the two of them about the fox.

_FLASHBACK! (You guys all asked for it!)_

_Naruto had sent out a Shadow Clone to ask Lucy to come over to his apartment, but to tell her he could only tell her the reasons in person. Right now, the Jinchuuriki was a nervous wreck. He remembered having said he was a Jinchuuriki when he and the others from the Rescue Team were going through the Konoha Gates, but he hadn't told Kaede and Mariko the whole truth. He knew that if Mariko was going to be living with him, she HAD to know, and then thought he should tell Kaede as well. After all, she had trusted him as they escaped the facility, so he felt obliged to trust her the same way. Despite this, he was terrified of how they'd react. What if they thought he was a monster? What if Lucy was afraid of him? What if Mariko thought she didn't want a monster as a father? The last thought was what really sent him into a panic. He had come to love Mariko as if he was her real father, and the thought of losing her was enough to drive him to the edge. Of course, the thought of Lucy fearing him was just as bad. When they arrived, Naruto was sure he was going to pass out, out of fear._

"_So, why did you call me here, Naruto?" Lucy asked, bringing him out of his fear induced stupor. Mariko was also very curious as to what her new 'father' wanted to tell them. With a heavy sigh, Naruto began._

"_You guys remember what I said as we were entering the village, right? When Gaara mentioned the Demon Containers?" The two of them nodded._

"_Yeah, you pretty much said you were one of them. Why?" With another heavy sigh, Naruto continued. _

"_16 years ago, on October 10__th__, the strongest of all the Tailed Beasts attacked the village." Naruto began. "The beast was capable of leveling mountains with a single swipe of one of its 9 tails, and was said to be able to cause a tidal wave with another swipe." Even as he spoke, the two Diclonii were already piecing the puzzle together. "Minato Namikaze, the fourth Hokage of the village, rode out to fight the beast. However, it was too strong to kill, so he used a Seal he himself designed and…"_

"_Lemme guess…" Lucy interrupted. "He sealed the fluffy asshole in the only newborn child, which, at the time, was you?" Naruto's mouth hung open for a second, but quickly shut it out, and nodded._

"_Yeah… You can probably guess my life was pretty much horrible because of him." He said slightly glumly._

"_Well, at least you had some friends to help you out, right?" Kaede said, as gentle smile in her face. With a heavy gulp, Naruto spoke again._

"_Actually… you were my first friend in… pretty much all time." The eyes of both Diclonii widened at that revelation. "The 8 years before I met you the only words directed to me were Demon, Scum, sometimes both, sometimes combined with beatings and such." He closed his eyes, suppressing the memories of the multiple beatings, insults and other mishaps he'd had. He hadn't been expecting to be hugged by his friend and daughter, however. He opened his eyes and saw the two of them hugging him tightly._

"_Well, that gives us something else in common, I guess…" Lucy said._

"_Feared and hated for something we did not choose… Abused for something we did not want… that is what happens to us Diclonii" Mariko said, experiencing one of her 'Mature' moments. "In a way, you ARE a Diclonius." When Mariko said that, Lucy let go of Naruto, much to his chagrin, and placed a hand on his head._

"_As the oldest one in our bunch, I hereby name you an Honorary Diclonius, fox face!" When Lucy (rather playfully) proclaimed this, Mariko placed her own hands on Naruto's head, making them look like a small pair of horns. The three began to laugh, softly and slowly at first, but then they were all laughing like there was no tomorrow. Naruto stood up and began to roar between laughs._

"_RAWR! I AM THE GREAT KYUBI, HONORARY DICLONIUS, FEEEEEAR MEEEEE!" He 'roared'. Mariko screamed in mock fear and Naruto began to chase her around the room, while Lucy grabbed some pillows with her vectors and began to hit both of them. They kept playing like this until they fell asleep in each other's arms (With Mariko sandwiched between Lucy and Naruto)_

_END FLASHBACK!_

A smile appeared on Naruto's face when he remembered that day, even as he went to ask Mariko to hurry up. He wasn't sure when had been the last time he'd had so much fun, and he was willing to bet both girls thought the same.

**10 minutes later**

**This author gives you a slightly late and rather lame April Fool's joke. NEXT CHAPTER: Naruto and Lucy are going on a date! And Mariko is tagging along. What will occur in this apparently innocent invitation for Ramen? Will love begin to bloom? Or will my slightly evil side take over and decide to leave you all with a massive cliffhanger? You'll have to wait to find out! (And maybe pray that I don't decide on the latter) This is BladeOfThePoet, logging out!**


	5. The Sun Rises

**Hello again, my fair rea… HOLY…! *Dodges a barrage of Vectors and Rasengans* WHAT THE HELL!?  
Lucy: Just shut up and write my date.**

**Naruto: I agree with her!**

**You guys are rather excited about this… *Drops to the floor under a Rasenshuriken* YIKES! Uh… ok, seeing as my life is in potential danger right now, I'm just gonna skip my normal greeting, 'k?**

**DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING HERE! (Except Hikari and Mizore, my OCs)**

**Ichiraku Ramen stand, 7:10 P.M.**

Ayame Ichiraku was in a good mood. Today, no customers had spilled their drinks, no children complained about the food, and no one had tried to hit on her that day. But, most importantly, she had learned that her little 'brother', Naruto, was bringing his first date to the stand. Her father and she had everything prepared for the event. There was only one thing, however, that was putting a damper in her mood. She noticed a crowd of people outside the stand that had walked past over and over again. She may be an ordinary civilian, but you didn't have to be an ANBU to know someone is purposely going in circles. The people that were walking around always looked into the restaurant as they passed, and would always whisper after they did. She had two bets on who they were: One was that they were spies, and the other was that it was simply Naruto's friends who decided to spy on the date. And Ayame seriously doubted that a Ramen stand would be of particular interest to a spy of Kumo or Iwa. She stopped thinking about it when she heard the approaching voice of the hyperactive blond…

One of the figures raised her hand to her ear, activating the device within.

"Ok, here they come! Commence Operation: Ramen Celebration!" She whispered.

"'_Ramen Celebration'? Seriously Ino?_" an amazingly lazy voice answered.

"_I agree with Shikamaru…" _Another voice answered, although this one had a distinct buzzing sound in the background. The rest of the Konoha 12 agreed with the Lazy Chunin's comment, much to Ino's chagrin. A few meters away, sitting in a small coffee shop, some more figures sat, but these showed the difference between Chunin and Veteran Jounin. Azuma, Kurenai, Kakashi (who was miraculously on time), Might Guy (His mouth had been closed with a seal tag) and Anko were sitting there, henged, as they waited for the pair to arrive.

"Hehe, who knew that the little brat would be getting a date…" Anko told the others, her hand holding a Dango stick. The others chuckled slightly, as they too had never figured Naruto would be one to go on a date.

"HMPH HMPH MHMM HMPHPH!" Guy began to yell into his restraints, and years of knowing him made the others capable of translating it to: 'The flaming fires of youth burn deeply in them!'

"Everyone be quiet!" Tsunade chided them from the neighboring table, which she was sharing with Jiraiya. "They're coming!"

**With the young couple *Dodges a vector* STOP THAT ALREADY!**

Naruto, Lucy and Mariko were all walking towards the Ramen Stand, Naruto telling his daughter and friend about his different adventures.

"Wow, you _actually _escorted a princess to her kingdom and got rid of the Warlord that was in control?" Mariko's voice was full of amazement and wonder.

"Yup! I blasted him into a mirror with a Rainbow-powered Rasengan to the gut. When it shattered, spring returned to the land. It was _awesome!_" He yelled. "Of course, Sasuke and Sakura were there too, but they didn't really do much." Said Pinkette had a vein threatening to pop on her forehead. Hadn't done much?

'_Oh, he is going DOWN, __**SHANARO!' **_the others edged away as an ominous fire flared out around her. It took Lee's strength to full to keep her from murdering the blonde right there.

"Alright! Here we are! The place where the food of the goods is brewed and served! Ichiraku Ramen!" Everyone shook their heads at the blonde's opinion of the stand. "Hey! Ji-chan! Ayame nee-chan!" He called out as he entered. The two Ichirakus smiled warmly at their best costumer before handing them the menus.

"Hello, Naruto-kun. Who's your friend?" Ayame asked the blond Shinobi. Of course, Ayame had already met Mariko, so no introductions were needed.

"Oh? I though you two had already met, sorry!" He apologized to his sister figure. "Ayame nee-chan, this is Kaede-chan. Kaede-chan, this is Ayame nee-chan, and that's her father, Teuchi Ichiraku. They've been there for me for as long as I can remember!" Ayame giggled at his words before deciding to annoy him a little.

"Well, considering how many times you've been hit on the head, that may not be much." Everyone, even Lucy and Mariko, laughed while Naruto simply whined a 'Hey!'. "But enough of that. What will you guys be having?" Naruto grinned.

"I'll take a Pork Ramen with extra pork." Naruto said without even looking at the menu. Lucy and Mariko, on the other hand, looked at the menu for a while, unsure of what to eat.

"I think I'll have a Beef ramen bowl" Lucy said after examining the menu. Mariko then opted for a bowl of Miso Ramen, at her father's recommendation.

"Alright! Three bowls, coming right up!" Ayame declared cheerfully as she helped her father prepare the bowls. The three ate happily, chatting cheerfully with one another. Suddenly, Mariko frowned slightly as she began to think about something. Noticing this, the two young adults turned to her.

"Hey, Mariko, is something wrong?" Naruto asked his daughter, worried. Lucy too looked at the girl, with a worry that, for once, wasn't fear. In fact she didn't know what it was. The girl turned to look at her father before voicing her thoughts.

"Daddy, is Lucy-san going to be my new mommy?" All noise seemed to drain out of the air. The blond and pinkette young Shinobi simply stared at the girl for a few seconds, and a little farther away, the entire unit of stalkers (minus Hinata) was fighting to keep their laughter from bursting out loudly. Meanwhile, Tsunade was already wondering if she'd have to prepare marriage papers soon.

'_I'll keep some ready, just in case…' _

"Ehhhhhh… I, uhh… *Gulp*" Naruto started sweating profusely. This was NOT how he had planned to spend his evening. He then opted for the safest choice. "That… uh… will be decided later, 'k?" Mariko nodded happily at her father, who, lost in the awkwardness he felt, did not notice the warm smile that appeared in Mariko's lips.

'_Hihihi… Daddy's in love, alright!' _She thought happily.

A short while later, the trio left the stand, with Naruto having paid for their meal. He then led his companions down the road, his 'stalkers' following from the rooftops.

"Where do you think they're going now?" sakura asked through her earpiece.

"The karaoke hall!" Answered Ino almost immediately. Everyone stopped in their tracks to regard the platinum blonde haired Yamanaka. "What?"

"How do you know that?" Shikamaru asked, all laziness gone from his voice. She giggled before tapping the side of her head.

"I read Naruto's mind as soon as we learned he was going on a date. I rigged up his plans to be a perfect success. Jiraiya-sama helped me make some seals to make the song selection choose one that will perfectly describe their feelings for one another!" She revealed before rushing over to the karaoke stand, followed by the others. They sat in a nearby table to watch as Lucy and Naruto took the stage. (**A/N This is in an omake at the bottom)**

After they finished singing, Mariko reported that she was getting sleepy.

"Want me to take you home?" Naruto asked his daughter. She simply shook her head.

"It's alright. I'll just ask one of the guys following us to take me." Their followers all tensed up, wondering if the girl meant them. "I think it's your friends from the other teams, their Jounin senseis, and Lady Hokage." All the Shinobi following them turned around in disbelief at the girl.

"Oh, you noticed them too, eh?" Naruto voiced out. The jaws of the Shinobi all fell to the floor. How the hell had Naruto known they were there? As if reading their minds, Naruto spoke out loud. "You'd think experienced Shinobi would know to suppress their Chakra… Anyway, OI! YOU GUYS THINK YOU CAN TAKE HER HOME!?"

"Busted…" Ino muttered under her breath. She then turned to Naruto, along with the others, with a sweet smile plastered on her face. "Sure, Naruto. We'll take your little girl home." In truth, all of them were rattled that the dead last of the group had located them so easily. "Just out of curiosity, how long have you known we've been following you?" She asked, hoping he figured them out only a little while ago.

"From the second you read my mind, Ino." Naruto deadpanned, and Ino chuckled nervously. They waved good-bye as the Konoha 12, the Jounin, and the Sannin left with Mariko, leaving the Diclonius Queen and the Kyubi Jinchuriki alone.

"So… what now?" Lucy asked her blond companion. Said spiky haired blond smile at her before looking to the distance.

"I was thinking of a peaceful walk through the village. Unless you want to do something else?" The horned girl shook her head, agreeing silently to a nice walk around the village. The Jinchuriki offered his arm to her. "Then, let us be on our way, shall we?" Lucy smiled and took his arm in her, and the two began to walk. Inside their minds, a triumphant sound erupted, startling both of them, although they hid it well.

"**Hehe, nice catch, Kit!" **Kurama yelled from inside his seal.

"**NYUNYU!" **The overly cheerful second personality of Lucy shouted, which could be translated to 'YAY! YOU'RE HAPPY!'. Nyu could feel herself slowly becoming a part of Lucy again. It would take months for the process to complete itself, but she knew Lucy was ready to accept happiness once more.

The two walked silently around the village, enjoying the nice warmth that was characteristic of the nights of the Land of Fire. Naruto showed Lucy every spot of interest around the village. It took them hours, and by the time they were done, at exactly 5 am, Naruto took her to the top of the Hokage Monument.

"This is one of my favorite places in the whole village…" he told her. Lucy was currently wearing Naruto's jacket over her attire, since the night got rather chilly, and watched in awe as the whole village was sprawled out in front of them. "You know, you're the first person I have ever brought up here. This had always been my special place, and quite honestly, not even my own team comes up here." Lucy rested her head against his shoulder as he spoke. She was still hugging his arm, even after the long walk. "I told myself that I would only bring someone who I considered above being a precious person. Quite honestly, Kaede-chan, you're the only one who was ever met that qualification." Lucy felt happy tears coming to her eyes. No one had ever said such a thing to her. They both looked to each other, and their gazes became locked on each other's eyes. Ever so slowly, just as the sun was beginning to rise, they started to inch closer. Their lips touched, and they both felt an immeasurable amount of emotions explode within them. Their lips remained locked as the sun rose over the mountains. When they separated, their eyes remained locked on one another.

At this moment, there was no Kyubi Jinchuriki. There was no Diclonius Queen. There were only Naruto and Lucy, staring lovingly into each other's eyes as the sun rose, signifying the beginning of a new day…

… and new love.

**CUT! Hoped you liked it. I tried to add some extra fluff for my beloved readers. Also…**

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR NOTE**

**Right now, there's a poll in my profile: What pairing would you prefer for this fic? Strictly Naruto x Lucy, or for Hinata to be added to the relationship? Please vote! BladeOfThePoet, logging out.**

**OMAKE (**_**Bold Italics **_**show Lucy is singing and ****Bold Underlined**** show Naruto is singing.)**

Naruto, Lucy, and Mariko entered the Karaoke building, but didn't notice the seals placed around. Jiraiya had developed the seals to select a song that would perfectly match the feeling the couple felt for one another… Mariko stated that she didn't want to sing, leaving the two 'friends' to take the stage for themselves. They climbed onto the stage, and the seals kicked in. Before they could select a song, a soft piano intro began to echo around the room. The first set of Lyrics appeared on Lucy's side, indicating she had to sing first. When she began, Naruto was mesmerized by her voice…

**(Bring me to life, Evanescence) **

_**How can you see into my eyes like open doors?  
Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb  
Without a soul my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold  
Until you find it there and lead it back home  
**_**  
****(Wake me up)****  
**_**Wake me up inside  
**_**(I can't wake up)****  
**_**Wake me up inside  
**_**(Save me)  
**_**Call my name and save me from the dark  
**_**(Wake me up)  
**_**Bid my blood to run  
**_**(I can't wake up)  
**_**Before I come undone  
**_**(Save me)  
**_**Save me from the nothing I've become  
**_**  
**_**Now that I know what I'm without  
You can't just leave me  
Breathe into me and make me real  
Bring me to life  
**_**  
****(Wake me up)  
**_**Wake me up inside  
**_**(I can't wake up)  
**_**Wake me up inside  
**_**(Save me)  
**_**Call my name and save me from the dark  
**_**(Wake me up)  
**_**Bid my blood to run  
**_**(I can't wake up)  
**_**Before I come undone  
**_**(Save me)  
**_**Save me from the nothing I've become  
**_**  
**_**Bring me to life  
**_**(I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside)  
**_**Bring me to life  
**_**  
**_**Frozen inside without your touch  
Without your love, darling  
Only you are the life among the dead  
**_**  
****All this time I can't believe I couldn't see  
Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me  
**_**I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems  
Got to open my eyes to everything  
**_**Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul  
**_**Don't let me die here  
**_**There must be something more  
**_**Bring me to life  
**_**  
****(Wake me up)  
**_**Wake me up inside  
**_**(I can't wake up)  
**_**Wake me up inside  
**_**(Save me)  
**_**Call my name and save me from the dark  
**_**(Wake me up)  
**_**Bid my blood to run  
**_**(I can't wake up)  
**_**Before I come undone  
**_**(Save me)  
**_**Save me from the nothing I've become  
**_**  
**_**(Bring me to life)  
**_**I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside  
**_**(Bring me to life)**_

The song then came to an end, and the two smiled at one another, while Mariko clapped happily in the background.

**Done again. Quite honestly, I think this song matches well with their feelings. Naruto saved Lucy from the dark, and gave her a new life. And Naruto had been living the lie that his friend had died, and thus, there was nothing inside what would've been her grave… How did I think of it this way? Hehe… well… I'll tell you when I know… BladeOfThePoet, logging out!**

**DISCLAIMER: THE SONG BELONGS TO EVANESCENCE, NOT ME!**


	6. Dattebane!

**Hello again my good readers! Here we are once again in the world of the Jinchuriki and the Queen. Last time, we saw how Naruto and Lucy finally became a happy little couple. Speaking of which:**

**Naruto x Lucy: 18 votes (+1 Anonymous Review)**

**Hinata x Naruto x Lucy: 14 votes**

**Neutral: 2 votes**

**It looks like Naruto and Lucy alone are the ones that won, counting anonymous reviewer votes. I am not precisely sure if you can vote without being logged in, so… I'm just gonna add their votes as separate ones, k? Signed reviewers could vote, so their review votes won't be added. Now, without further ado, let us begin.**

**Konoha, 10:00 AM**

Lucy felt someone trying to wake her up, but she simply ignored it, thinking it to be Mizore who wanted to have a spar. Instead, she snuggled tightly against the warm pillow that she'd been hugging. She did find it a bit odd, though. Since when do pillows move like they're breathing?

'_Wait, BREATHING!?" _her blood-red orbs snapped open, and were met by the deep blue eyes of Naruto Uzumaki. '_Oh, right, right, we had a date last night… and we…' _Lucy blushed as she remembered the events of the night. (**A/N THEY ONLY FELL ASLEEP NEXT TO ONE ANOTHER! NOTHING ELSE HAPPENED! Just in case.)** Despite the color she had taken, she realized she had never felt such peace and happiness as she did right now, curled up against her oldest friend… which, she guessed, was now more than just a friend.

"Morning Kaede-chan." Naruto said happily. He too felt more at peace than ever before, with Kaede next to him. The night before was possibly the happiest night of his life, especially with the kiss… They both remembered that specific moment of their date quite well. Their faces began to inch closer, trying to repeat the moment…

"**Oh, get a room, you two... oh wait! You're already **_**in **_**a room! HAHAHA!" **Until Demon Kurama decided to screw it all up. He'd said it so loud even Lucy heard it through her Chakra. The fox's laughter was effectively cut short when a massive, 50 ton weight landed on his head, effectively shutting him up.

"Sometimes I hate that fox…" Naruto muttered.

"Sometimes?" Lucy answered playfully, and Naruto answered in the same manner.

"Ok, _all _the time." He then gave the Queen a quick peck on the lips, making her giggle lightly. The moment having been restored, the two quickly became aware of something: There was someone _else _snuggling up between them, and that someone emitted a small whine of protest when the two got too close, squishing her between them. Lifting the bed sheets, they found Mariko curled up between the two of them, still fast asleep, gripping Naruto's shirt. "Uh… did you know she was here?"

"Nope." Lucy admitted. Quite honestly, she hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings, but then again, neither had Naruto. A strand of hair fell on the little girl's nose, who wrinkled it in annoyance. Lucy giggled before brushing the offending lock behind her ear. "Hmm… I never knew she had this side to her. She looks so innocent when she's asleep." Naruto chuckled along, and happily noticed something else.

"You know, this is the first time she doesn't seem to have any indication of a nightmare…" Lucy perked up at that. "You see, ever since she arrived, she's had nightmares almost every night. She says she dreams the men from the organization come and take her back to her containment, and that I do nothing about it. Every time I tell her the same thing: I'll die before letting them take her back to that place. Same goes for you, too." The two of them smiled lovingly to one another, before looking back down at Mariko. Unknown to both of them, a small black bug was stuck to the bed wall, watching intently with its beady eyes. Meanwhile, on the other end…

"So, Shino, what's happening?" Ino asked the bug user that was currently connected with his bug. The Konoha 12 were currently sitting in a small café while Shino used his Kinkou bugs to spy on the young couple. Shino simply closed his eyes (action that went unnoticed because of his shades) and said:

"It's private" He said, purposely avoiding giving them any details.

"WHAT!?" Ino shrieked. "Come on, Shino! You're the only one who can tell us! I can't do a mind possession with them, nor could we plant chakra cams!" Shino shook his head and recalled his bug, and started walking away. Ino growled, before turning to Neji and Hinata. "NEJI! HINATA! GO BYAKUGAN AND TELL US WHAT'S GOING ON IN THERE!" Neji, who had his eyes closed while drinking some tea, cracked open his left eye and stared coldly at the platinum blonde.

"Why are you so interested in knowing what they're doing, Ino?" Ino then turned and regarded the Hyuga prodigy with a hellish glare.

"_Because_, it's my duty to be in the loop of every romantic involvement in this village!" She stated proudly. Neji sweat dropped at her answer, before focusing back on his tea (and ignoring the fact TenTen was sitting incredibly close to him). Hinata, however, activated her Byakugan, for she too wanted to know what was happening. "You go, Hinata! Now, what are they doing?"

"Ano… Lucy-san seems to be helping Mariko get ready for the academy, and Naruto-kun seems to be preparing breakfast… he's actually cooking something instead of preparing instant ramen…" Everyone but Hinata noticed the lack of stuttering during her last sentence. "Wait, Naruto did a hand sign… but I can't tell what he was trying to do... He seems to be looking… straight at our direction." They all looked around; trying to find what the blond Shinobi had been trying to do. Just then, they heard a cough above them, and saw Naruto – or rather, _a _Naruto – Looking down on them.

"Spying isn't nice, you know." The clone said before dropping down on the table and dispelling himself, filling the area with Chakra smoke, throwing everyone into a coughing fit. Back at the apartment, the original Naruto chuckled slightly.

"Naruto: 1, everyone else: 0. Gotta love the 'invisible' Shadow Clones" He said gingerly before focusing back on breakfast, which was composed of simple scrambled eggs. Naruto had only started cooking actual meals a few months ago, and despite his best attempts he could only make the most basic meals. In other words, he and Mariko often ate out. After the three of them ate their meals and exchanged some cheerful small talk, Mariko popped the question again.

"Is Lucy-san my new mommy now?" She asked 'innocently'. The two looked at each other, and Lucy simply nodded at him. Naruto began to scratch the back of his head before answering.

"Yeah, y-you could say it like that…" He said that all the while blushing harder than Hinata on her worst day. Lucy too was blushing, and while they were like that, Mariko's only thoughts were.

'_YAY! I have an actual mommy now! And daddy has someone to keep him company!"_ And then her thoughts took on a darker edge. '_Now I get to collect the money from the bet I made with Tsunade obaa-chan and Jiraiya Ji-chan!' _Just then, in the Hokage Tower, the Slug Sannin of Konoha tensed, and she knew she had lost yet another bet.

"SHIZUNE BRING ME THE SAKE!" She yelled out, and her assistant began to run a mental list of the blonde's current bets as she ran to the Hokage's private alcohol cabinet. Now, back to the couple…

"Hey, Mariko, you got everything ready?" Naruto asked his adoptive daughter.

"Hai!" She said happily. The girl thoroughly enjoyed going to the Academy, even if she fell asleep on some of Iruka's lectures, particularly on the ones where he started droning about something educational. Lucy watched as the girl cheerfully took her father's hand into her own, and the blond Shinobi turned to her.

"Wanna come?" The Pinkette nodded before walking out after him. They walked side by side on the way to the Academy, followed closely by the Konoha 12, this time with suppressed chakra.

"Teehee! Naruto won't be able to notice us this time!" Ino whispered cheerfully. The others, particularly Neji, Shikamaru, and Shino sweatdropped at the girl's attitude, while wondering why they were following her in the first place. Shikamaru whispered to Neji.

"Should we remind her of Naruto's sense of smell?" He asked the Hyuga prodigy, who just shrugged.

"Let her find out the hard way. I'm pretty sure Naruto is just waiting for the right moment to reveal he knows." Neji answered.

The group followed the couple all the way to the academy. It seemed like Naruto and Lucy were unable to stay too far away from each other for long. They were either holding hands or playfully hitting each other, much to Mariko's happiness. There was no way Tsunade would be able to escape paying her. This little girl was spending too much time with her father, eh?

"Hey, Naruto!"Iruka greeted as they approached the academy. "How are you do…" The Chunin stopped in his tracks when he noticed Lucy and Naruto holding hands, and chuckled. "Nevermind, you're doing very well it seems." Both teens blushed at the implications of Iruka's words, but Naruto smiled at his brotherly figure before answering.

"Yeah everything's fine, Iruka-sensei." He then turned to his daughter, and knelt down to her level. "Now, I want you to behave today, you hear me?" Mariko nodded in response. Iruka nearly released a sigh of relief, thinking he'd finally have a peaceful day. Sadly, he failed to notice that this was a code Naruto and Mariko had set up. If Naruto ended a sentence with 'you hear me', he doesn't mean 'Listen to my words', he says 'Listen to what I really mean'. He pretty much just told Mariko to give Iruka hell.

"Will do, Daddy! Dattebane!" Iruka sweatdropped when the girl said that last word.

'_Sweet Kami she's becoming a Naruto mini-me…'_ The Chunin thought worriedly. The last thing his nerves needed was Konoha's #2 Unpredictable Ninja. The image of the girl in a bright orange jumpsuit flashed through his head, and the teacher was forced to suppress a shudder at the thought.

"Ok then. Kaede-chan and I will head over to see if there are any missions available right now. Have a nice day, Mariko-chan!" After the girl said goodbye and the couple bid farewell to Iruka, they left. Iruka then motioned for the little girl to enter the Academy, when he noticed someone had stuck a piece of paper into his pant pocket. He took it out and unfurled it, revealing a single, expertly drawn symbol, with a word written in a barely legible handwriting underneath.

"What does this say? Re… Rel…" The Chunin kept trying to decipher the word as he entered his classroom. Just as he did, he recognized the word. "Ah! It says Release!"

*GLUG GLUG GLUG*

The second he said the word, a powerful stream of water was fired from the piece of parchment, completely dowsing the Chunin. The whole class roared in laughter at the event, especially Mariko. After all, she had seen her father preparing the prank. Iruka then did something that, under other circumstances, would've been nostalgic.

"NAAAAAARUUUUTOOOO!"

**Near the tower**

Naruto began to laugh when his name echoed around the walls of Konoha.

"Beat _that _Mariko!" He yelled excitedly while Lucy shook her head, internally laughing. Being on separate teams, the two of them split up as they entered the tower, not before giving each other a 'see ya later' kiss.

When they did, having been seen thought the Crystal Ball of the Hokage, the Legendary Sucker banged her head against the desk, for once truly considering abandoning gambling. Losing to a little girl is a big hit to anyone's pride…

**?**

A young man stood on top of a small flight of stairs, looking at the ocean. He had moved here a little over 5 months ago, and had been living with his cousin and a little girl in a place called the 'Maple Inn', and he could honestly say he was happy. The location had a lot of fond memories for him… even if he felt like there was something he had forgotten, but at the same time he did not want to remember.

'_It's weird… I feel like something bad happened here… but I can't seem to grasp what it was…' _He said in his thoughts. The young adult was broken out of his musings when a man, dressed in a blue suit, approached him.

"Excuse me, are you Kouta, owner of the Maple Inn?" The man asked. The other man, now identified as Kouta, nodded. "I am Director Kurama of the DRI. I have to talk to you about the deaths of your father and sister."

**And that's a wrap. Kurama's attempting to do the lowest thing possible, but will it work? Or will it blow up in his face (Either figuratively or literally)? I'm pining for the latter, thought. Now, I'll make this clear: I have, for now, three arcs planned for this fic. This number might eventually change. All that has happened up till now has been nothing more than an introduction, so to speak. The first arc, which starts next chapter, will involve the Diclonii training and Akatsuki. Second Arc will be when Kouta comes in. Third Arc… hehe, that's a secret! **

**IMPORTANT!**

**I still need more Jutsu for the diclonii! Thanks a lot to Flamefather and Lucas Bane for their submissions; that will undoubtedly be used. To speed things along, I'll reveal the first elemental affinity of the Diclonii (They all have two)**

**Lucy: Fire**

**Nana: Water + ?  
Mariko: Wood + ? (Earth + Water)  
Mizore: Lightning + ? (Remember: She's a medic!)  
Hikari: Earth + ?**

**All Elemental affinities have already been set, so please stick to these. I won't reveal their secondary affinity until later, nor will I reveal if any more of them have a Kekkei Genkai. Hope you enjoyed! This is BladeOfThePoet, logging out!**


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